UNITED STATES BRIDGE FEDERATION SUPPLEMENTARY CONDITIONS of PLAY for the 2019 MICHAEL SEAMON JUNIOR UNITED STATES BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

December 27, 2019 – January 31, 2019

(See also the USBF General Conditions of Contest https://usbf.org/docs/COC/General%20Conditions%20of%2 0Contest%202019.pdf)

Marty Fleisher, President Jan Martel, COO

USBF Board of Directors

Kate Aker Mark Aquino Dave Caprera Marty Fleisher Brad Moss Beth Palmer Josh Parker

USBF Junior Committee

Joe Stokes, Chair Dave Caprera Owen Lien Jan Martel Michael Rosenberg

I. Authority and Overview The 2019 Michael Seamon Junior United States Bridge Championships (MSJUSBC) is held under the authority of the United States Bridge Federation (USBF). The 2019 MSJUSBC will be held December 27 - 31, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta. The USBF has agreed, unless special conditions arise, to nominate the winning teams to represent the USA in the 18th World Youth Team Bridge Championships (WYBTC) in the summer of 2020.

Teams will be chosen in four categories: 1) Two open under 26 (U26) teams, to compete for the Patiño Cup, 2) two open under 21 (U21) teams, to compete for the Damiani Cup, 3) one team of women under 26 (Rona) to compete for the Rona Cup, and 4) one open under 16 (U16) team.

The competition for U21, U26, and Rona will begin at 11:30 AM EST, on Friday, December 27, with Thursday, December 26 as a travel day for those flying to Atlanta. The U16 competition will begin one day later, on Saturday, December 28, at 11:30 AM EST.

Under current USBF procedures, if the USBF Board of Directors believes there is any reason not to nominate all the players on the winning teams for the WYBTC, the Board will submit the name(s) of any players about whom the Board has questions to the Credentials Committee for its review. The Credentials Committee review shall be limited to the players’ ethics, conduct, deportment and hygiene and shall not take into consideration their bridge ability. Normally, the USBF Board will only follow this procedure based on behavior at or after the MSJUSBC or information received after the MSJUSBC. A team with a player who is later not invited or approved by the WBF and/or the USBF for any reason (such as residency, conduct, ethics, hygiene, etc.) may be disqualified should it win the 2019 MSJUSBC.

II. General Information A. Eligibility Each Player in the 2019 MSJUSBC must be eligible to compete and intend to compete in the 2020 World Youth Team Championships (date and location to be determined). To be eligible for U26 or Rona, players must have been born in 1995 or later; for U21, 2000 or later; for U16, 2005 or later. B. Registration Teams in all categories must register by 11:59 PM EDT, August 5, 2019, at USBF.org. Additional teams will be accepted after this deadline only if it improves the movement for the competition. Each player in the event must be registered on the USBF website. Juniors are not required to pay USBF dues to participate; players who are selected to represent the US in the 2020 WYBTC will be expected to pay dues at reduced junior rates and to participate actively in the USBF Junior Training Program from January 2020 until the 2020 WYBTC in summer 2020.

2019 Michael Seamon JUSBC 2 C. Augmentation Junior teams representing the United States in international competition normally will have six players. If a team that qualifies has fewer than six players, (an) additional player(s) shall be added. Teams may suggest (a) player(s) to add. Player(s) to be added must be approved by the USBF Board of Directors. Preference will be given to players who participated in the 2019 MSJUSBC and who have participated in the USBF Junior Online Training Program.

In exceptional circumstances, the Board may approve in advance sending a team of four or five players, or augmenting a team of four with a player or pair that may not be expected to meet the minimum play requirements to receive WBF masterpoints. D. Training Program The USBF expects those who qualify to represent the USA at the 2020 World Youth Team Championships to attend structured practice with their partners at least once a week for at least two hours between January 15, 2020, and when they leave for the 2020 WYBTC. Further, to be eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses to the MSJUSBC in Atlanta, players must participate in the Online Training Program September-December 2019. E. Play at World Youth Bridge Team Championships Every member of any USBF-sponsored junior team who complies with the requirements will be afforded the opportunity and be expected to play the number of boards required to receive WBF masterpoints, except under circumstances mentioned above in II.C. F. Player Commitment Form Participants at the in-person portions of the MSJUSBC and those who represent the USA at the 2020 WYBTC may be required to sign a Player Commitment Form provided by the USBF before they begin play in the 2019 MSJUSBC or the 2020 World Youth Team Bridge Championships. G. Reimbursement of expenses The USBF will attempt to reimburse most of the lowest-available coach airfare to and from the MSJUSBC (and mileage for those who drive, up to the lowest available coach airfare) and housing expenses (double or triple occupancy) for the MSJUSBC, but not expenses associated with meals and ground travel to and from airports. If a team is eliminated (or wins their category) during the competition, the USBF will pay their housing through the night of the day they are eliminated (or win). To be eligible for reimbursement of expenses to the MSJUSBC, players must participate in the USBF online training program in the fall of 2019. USBF will cover or reimburse most of the expenses associated with representing the USA at the 2020 WYBTC, including airfare, housing, entry fees, and meal charges.

2019 Michael Seamon JUSBC 3 III. Event Format A. General Information and Terminology

Round Robin (RR) refers to each team playing each other team in the field in a series of matches. To mirror WBF policies, there will be no carryover from RR matches to head-to-head (KO) matches when the RR comprises more than three teams, except the winner of their RR match will be the winner of KO matches that end in a tie. IMP scores in RR matches will be converted to Victory Points (VP), using the appropriate USBF VP scale. For RR matches that span two days, the results for each day will be converted to VPs, and VPs earned over the two days will be summed to determine overall rankings (this method of converting IMPs to VPs is subject to change if the Technical and Advisory Committee of the USBF votes before the 2019 MSJUSBC to change this provision in the USBF General Conditions of Contest).

If the number of teams that enters in a category is not covered below, the USBF Junior Committee, with the approval of the USBF Board of Directors, will determine the specific Conditions of Contest within 30 days after entries close. In some cases, the number of teams entered may require online qualifying, which, if needed, will be held September 14-15 and/or September 21-22, 2019, on BBO.

If online qualifying is necessary, the USBF Board of Directors, in consultation with the Junior Committee, may grant teams a bye to the in-person MSJUSBC based on their past performance in Junior international play, ACBL tournaments, and the online Junior Training Program, while holding an online qualification for additional teams to compete in the in-person MSJUSBC. If a combination of byes and online competition are used to select teams for the in-person portion of the MSJUSBC, at least half the teams in the in-person competition will come from the online competition.

B. Various Formats Formats listed below will be used in the 2019 Michael Seamon JUSBC. i. THREE TEAMS ENTER (one advances) Stage 1 2-Day RR (56 against each other team, 28 each day), with IMPs converted to VPs each day using the USBF 28-board scale.

Stage 2 The top two teams from the RR in Stage 1 play a 60-board final. Carryover is 51% (no cap) of the IMP difference in the 56-board RR match played by these two teams. The winner of this match is the USA team for the WYBTC.

2019 Michael Seamon JUSBC 4 ii. FOUR TEAMS ENTER (one advances) Stage 1 KO matches, 60 boards, pairings determined by random draw.

Stage 2 Winners from Stage 1 play each other, 60 boards. Losers from Stage 1 play each other, 60 boards; the loser of this match is eliminated from the competition.

Stage 3 The winner of the “winner’s match” from Stage 2 sits out this stage. The two remaining teams play each other, 60 boards.

Stage 4 The winner of the Stage 3 match plays the winner of the “winner’s match” from Stage 2, 60 boards. The winner of this match is the USA team for the WYBTC. iii. SIX TEAMS ENTER (two advance) Stage 1 2-day RR (22 boards against each other team, 11 each day), with IMPs converted to VPs each day using the USBF 11-board scale. The top four teams advance to the KO stage; the fifth and sixth teams are eliminated.

Stage 2 Top four teams from RR play USA1 semifinals, with the winner of the RR picking its opponent from teams finishing 3rd and 4th in the RR, 60 boards. The team that finished second in the RR has the option of making itself available to be chosen as the first-place finisher’s semifinal opponent.

Stage 3 Winners from USA1 semifinals play each other in the USA1 final, 60 boards. The losing teams from the USA1 semifinals play each other in the USA2 semifinals.

Stage 4 Loser of the USA1 final plays the winner of the USA2 semifinal in the USA2 final, 60 boards. The winner of this match is the USA2 team for the WYBTC. ii. NINE TEAMS ENTER (two advance) Stage 1 1-day, RR (6 boards against each other team), with IMPs converted to VPs using the USBF 6-board scale. The top four teams advance to the KO stage; the next five teams play in the USA2 bracket.

Stage 2 Top four teams from RR play USA1 semifinals, with the winner of the RR picking its opponent from teams finishing 3rd and 4th in the RR, 60 boards. The team that

2019 Michael Seamon JUSBC 5 finished second in the RR has the option of making itself available to be chosen as the first-place finisher’s semifinal opponent.

The bottom five teams from the RR play another 1-day (USA2) RR, with a Board-a- Match movement, 14 boards over two halves, with IMPs converted to VPs using the USBF 14-board scale. The last place team in this RR is eliminated; the other four teams advance to the USA2 quarterfinals.

Stage 3 Winners from USA1 semifinals play each other in the USA1 final, 60 boards. The winner of this match is the USA1 team for the WYBTC. Losing teams from USA1 semifinals drop into the USA2 quarterfinals and pick their opponents from the four teams that survived the USA2 RR in Stage 2, with the losing semi-finalist that finished higher in the Stage 1 RR picking first, 60 boards. The losing semi-finalist from USA1 who finished lower in the Stage 1 RR has the option of making itself available to be chosen as the other losing USA1 semi-finalist opponent in the USA2 quarterfinals. If the two USA1 semifinal losers play each other, the winner of the USA2 Round Robin chooses its opponent from the teams that finished 3rd and 4th in the USA2 Round Robin. The team that finished second in the USA2 Round Robin has the option of making itself available to be chosen. The two remaining teams that advanced from the USA2 RR play each other, 60 boards.

Stage 4 The loser of the USA1 finals drops into the USA2 semi-finals and picks its semi-final opponent from the three teams that won in the USA2 quarterfinals. USA2 semi- finals matches are 60 boards.

Stage 5 Winners of the USA2 semi-finals play each other in the USA2 finals, 60 boards, no carryover from prior RR matches. The winner is USA2 for the WYBTC. C. System Summary Forms and Conventions Allowed Each pair must submit a System Summary Form (SSF) at least two weeks before the event (and two weeks before the online portion of the competition, if any). Once you are logged in to USBF.org (you must be logged in), select “SSF or ASF” from the User Menu on the left. For more information about SSFs, see the “System Regulations” tab under the “USBF Tournaments” menu on the home page of USBF.org. Play at the 2019 MSJUSBC will be governed by the Open+ Chart of the ACBL (http://web2.acbl.org/documentLibrary/about/181AttachmentD.pdf). D. Carryover and Matches that End in a Tie Unless specifically stated in the format for a specific number of teams entered and advancing, there is no carryover from a previous Round Robin or KO match between 2 teams in a subsequent KO match.

2019 Michael Seamon JUSBC 6 If a knockout match that follows a RR ends in a tie, the team that won the RR match between these two teams will be the winner (except for a final match). If there was no RR, ties in knockout matches will be broken by an additional segment of six boards (and further additional segments of four boards, if needed). For the final match only in USA1 and USA2, ties will be broken by an additional segment of six boards (and further additional segments of four boards, if needed). E. Pace of play Players will be allowed about 8.5 minutes per board. Slow play penalties may be imposed at the discretion of the director. F. Tardiness Play shall begin at the announced starting time. Players shall arrive at least five minutes before the announced starting time to discuss methods with their opponents. Players who do not arrive at the table in accordance with the above are deemed to be tardy. When tardiness exceeds 10 minutes from the announced starting time, the Director may curtail the match by removing one board and one additional board for every 9 minutes later than the original 10-minute tardiness. The opponents will be awarded 3 IMPs per board removed. The DIC may impose penalties without removing boards.

IV. General Expectations of Participants Participants in the 2019 Michael Seamon MSJUSBC are expected to abide by all applicable regulations of the USBF, ACBL, and other sponsoring organizations, as well as all laws of the State of Georgia and the United States of America. Participants are expected to dress and behave appropriately at all times, including tournament play and any related events and mentoring sessions. The USBF reserves the right to sanction any participant who does not meet these expectations during the 2019 MSJUSBC.

When the WYBTC is held in Asia, the USBF expects players who represent the USA to be in Asia at least three nights before they begin play. When the WYBTC is held in Europe, the USBF expects players who represent the USA to be in Europe at least two nights before they begin play. Additional time in either Asia or Europe is desirable.

Participants in Junior World Championships sponsored by the WBF should be aware that testing for banned substances may take place during international competitions (see http://www.worldbridge.org/rules-regulations/anti-doping-regulations/ for more details). Players taking banned substances for legitimate medical reasons should file a Therapeutic Use Exemptions form before participating in WBF events.

V. Interpretation of Conditions The DIC, in conjunction with the USBF Tournament Committee Chair, shall make any necessary interpretations of these conditions or resolution of matters not included

2019 Michael Seamon JUSBC 7 in these conditions. These Condition of Contest are to be interpreted in their entirety, which includes the USBF General Conditions of Contest. No section or appendix of these conditions shall be interpreted in such a manner as to render any other section or appendix to be meaningless, except those that may be rendered so because some portion of the play is on BBO.

Decision makers shall be guided by similar WBF, USBF, and ACBL policies, procedures, or regulations, as well as the Laws of Duplicate Bridge when ruling on matters or issues not expressly addressed in these conditions.

The DIC and the USBF Tournament Committee Chair may modify any of these conditions as deemed necessary to ensure the integrity of the event.

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